Another blackout burglary at Heideveld Town Centre

The Heideveld Town Centre building has once again become a target of burglary during load shedding.

The building on the corner of Heideveld and Ascension roads has been plagued by theft and vandalism in recent months.

On Sunday night July 10, during a blackout, burglars stole thousands of rand worth of merchandise, including kettles and sweaters from a V’s Boutique, said Dr Aziz Adams, chairman of the Heideveld Town Centre Closed Corporation, which owns the building.

“The police found the kettle at someone’s house who bought it for R20. They are on to the culprits. I’m sure it’s the same guys who broke in the last time. The insurance only covers the structure of the building insured. The tenants have to insure contents and merchandise in their rooms/shops/offices which is not covered by the landlords insurance,” he said.

During power blackouts, thieves have taken light switches, lights, glass from the main door, wiring and pipes, and they damaged the roof when they climbed into the men’s bathroom to cut a length of pipe that caused flooding on the first and second floors.

Shopowner Vanessa Nelson said several pairs of shoes had been stolen. She said she believed the thieves had been interrupted otherwise they would have taken more.

“They’ve taken so much. They stole my rice, baked beans, shelves, sweaters, and shoes. They came to make a clean sweep here. There are jeans folded and rolled up so they were probably going to come back,” she said.

Manenberg police spokesman Captain Ian Bennett said the burglary had not been reported to the station.